Mission, Vision + Values

The WOMEN’S DRUM CENTER is committed to growing and sustaining a diverse and inclusive community. Recognizing that multiple voices and perspectives enrich our work, we embrace a broad definition of diversity. We strive to create a community where each person can feel that “we” includes them. We are dedicated to ensuring an environment where people of all backgrounds find their contributions are valued and respected, and where all members of our community are fully engaged participants in our mission.

WDC MISSION: Create vitality, resilience, and interconnectedness through world percussion.

WDC VISION: Transform lives and communities through percussion and normalize an environment in which all people thrive.

WDC CORE VALUES:

  • We are a powerful community that positively centers women of all ages as leaders and collaborators.

  • We celebrate the origins of the music we play and the ability of drumming to connect people across cultures and generations.

  • We express joy and gratitude through our words, thoughts, and actions.

Cultural Appreciation

At WDC, we practice cultural appreciation. By understanding a culture’s musical traditions we create informed and respectful relationships. 

We’re curious about customs and cultures that broaden our worldview. We’re humble and understand that we have a lot to learn. We’re also willing participants in cultural exchange. We share our traditions as we appreciate those of others.

How do appreciation and appropriation differ?

Cultural appreciation seeks to understand another culture and connect with others. Appreciation involves respectful engagement and an effort to learn. 

Cultural appropriation involves an insensitive use of cultural elements. Using an element from another culture without acknowledgment or permission is appropriation. 

The WOMEN’S DRUM CENTER is on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary homelands of the Dakota people, specifically the Mdewakanton [med-ah-wah-kah-ton], whose villages once lined the shores of Bde Maka Ska [buh-day mah-kah skah], the Mississippi River, or Haha Wakpa [hah-hah wahk-pah], and the confluence at Bdote [ba-doe-tay], a place of spiritual and cultural significance. We also acknowledge the Ojibwe/Anishinaabe [oh-jib-wah/ah-nish-uh-nah-bay] people, whose presence and connection to this region runs deep. We recognize this land carries a history of displacement and resilience, and pay respect to the elders—past, present, and emerging—who have stewarded it through generations and continue to do so. We pledge to recognize, support, collaborate with, and advocate for indigenous people, and to reflect on the convergence of legacies that have brought us here today. We also honor the many feet that have traveled, are traveling, and will travel on this land, and are grateful to be among them today.